The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1887-08-13
AVAUNT!!
And Quit My Sight--Thy Bones
Are Marrowless.


The first time met this awful being
II really can not call her human-was
in this way. Twas alone in the house.
We have the authority Of Scripture for
the fact that it is not good for men to
be alone. l do not know whether they
have added to that in the revised YER
sion, the phrase "AN the time" l
think such a qualification might per-
haps be an improvement don't say
it would-I merely suggest that it
might Certain it is that some men
are so constituted that when they find
themselves entirely alone they feel an
exhilarating sense OF freedom "Now, y
saws that wretched man to himself.
ii will get some work DONE"
Or perhaps he thinks he will
have day Of uninterrupted reading.
OF course when the family comes back
he will unblushingly claim that he has
been dismally lonesome. and that in a
measure may be true, as the day wears
on. A house that is accustomed to the
merry. ringing voices of children soon
begins to feel their absence 1t be-
comes great, silent, echoing shell of
place. 1t is merely n building-it is
home no longer. By and by the
emptiness begins to depress the lone
occupant. He hears startling creaks
on the stair, as if some ghostly foot
step were going up or coming down.
Some thing snaps IN the empty room
overhead, and. although his reason
tells him that it is the shrinking Of a
board, yet the feeling Of depression ~
cresses, and the person who felt the
joyous freedom in the morning begins
to wish his folks were home again.
One day, feeling this unnatural long
ing for the companionship of my fami-
ly,I began to wander, with my hands in
my pockets, around the deserted house.
Invent up stairs and moped about a
bit, and then thought would visit the
attic. The attic in my house is a sort
Of a literary treasure-trove place. There
are piles of old magazines; old pa
pers; old books picked up here and
there and all arranged in the picture
esque confusion that delights the soul
Of naturally untidy man. There are
odds and ends of all sorts of things.
Here are some discarded bows and ar
rows that represent died-out archery
craze. There is all old violin that
tells Of dozen lessons taken, after
which came over me the consciousness
that was not cut out for great
musician. In corner is dusty easel,
which at one time convinced me that
art was confoundedly long, and that
time was exceedingly fleeting. At the
end of the attic there is door-window
that opens out on little balcony and
from that perch is wonderful view
over waving apple tree tops and away
beyond stretch the green fields, dotted
with coy farm houses, and further yet
blue rim of the lake with white 1ecks
of sails An old, comfortable canvas
steamer chair reclines here and can
assure you that when the sun leaves
this balcony it is an airy and delight
full Longing place.
Well, to get on with my story. /
mounted the crooked, narrow balcony
stairs with this breezy resting place in
view. pushed open the door at the
head of the stairs and in the dim light
of the attic most appalling sight met
my eyes. There. on the middle Of the
floor, stood a woman,-a headlcss
woman! Her arms hung listlessly
BY her sides, an old bonnet was jaunt.
lily placed where the head SHOULD have
been and added touch of grotesqueness
to the grim spectacle that was simply
blood curdling. I grasped the dool
for support and my heart stood still
for one brief second and then jumped
clear out into space. l never had
such fright in my life.
After cropping around for breath
resolved to solve the mystery. knew
that she was dead because when ;
woman is headlcss even the most care
less reasoner would infer that life wa.
extinct He who lifts his hand to {
woman save in the way of kindness, il
not all he should be. and it Is will
sorrow that / admit that